


Save Him

by kenezbian



Series: Kenezbian's Vampire AU [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood and Injury, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-04
Updated: 2013-04-04
Packaged: 2017-12-07 12:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/748287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenezbian/pseuds/kenezbian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin gets attacked by a feral vampire and can only be saved by being turned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place in 2008, at the office on Congress.

Burnie looked up and jumped, surprised at the tall brunet silhouetted in the doorway. “Fuck, Joel, you scared me! What have I told you about lurking around here?”

“Burnie.”

“We talked about this, I know you’re naturally light-footed but we’re humans, remember?”

“Burnie—”

“I need to know when you’re here Joel, you can’t just—”

“BURNIE!” Joel growled, and Burnie jumped again. He stared at his friend and his heart raced when he realized he was running on instincts; teeth bared, eyes wide, nostrils flared.

“Everything alright?” Burnie motioned to a chair and Joel sat down carefully, perched on the edge like he was ready for a fight.

“There’s another vampire in my territory.” Joel wiped a hand over his eyes and shook his head. “Strong, angry, thirsty motherfucker. I think it’s hunting someone at the company even though you’re marked. There’s only one type of vampire that would do that.”

“Feral.” The word left a sour taste in Burnie’s mouth and he frowned. “What do we do?”

“I notified the police. They already have hunters on it but this asshole is old and powerful.” Joel was panting and fidgeting, fighting the urge to run out of the building. “I think it knows I’m the only vampire here and it’s waiting for me to hunt and leave you unattended.”

“Joel. I need you to tell me what to do, right now.” Burnie was doing his best to stay calm, knowing his panic would set off Joel’s instincts further.

“Act normal. Keep your typical routines. Changing suddenly may make him act sooner than he’s ready.” Joel was drumming his fingers on his thighs and tapping his toes on the floor. “Don’t travel alone. Arrange plans with the rest of the guys to carpool or something. Ferals are less likely to attack in daylight or in populated areas.”

“What are you gonna do?” Burnie swallowed.

“I’m gonna try to figure out which one of you he’s hunting so I can be there when he attacks.” Joel suddenly sprang to his feet and started pacing. “Burnie, I have never felt like this, I’ve never had to defend my territory from a feral, I feel completely out of control and not like myself—”  
  
“If you need to go then go. Don’t torture yourself by staying here to talk to me. Keep in touch.”

Burnie had scarcely finished the sentence before Joel fled, the door slamming behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Several days passed, and Burnie and Gavin were working late one night on a couple shots for RvB. Joel had stopped in a little earlier saying he would leave with them to make sure they got home okay, but then left again, still as jittery as he was before.

“Hey Burnie?” Gavin suddenly asked, breaking the older man’s concentration.

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever encountered a feral before?” His voice was a little shaky.

“No. They’re not common here - the US as a country isn’t old enough to have ferals like Europe. The earliest documented case of vampiric cognitive issues was at 250 years, and most of them go well beyond that.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been reading.”

Burnie nodded. “It’s how I dealt with my fear of vampires as a kid - read as much as I could about them. It’s probably why I didn’t panic when I met Joel at college, unlike my shitty roommate.”

“Joel was already turned when you met?”

“Joel was already powerful enough to go into the sun all day, Gavino.” Burnie set down his controller and patted Gavin on the shoulder. “He’s smart and he knows how to trust his instincts. He’s a good hunter and if he can get a lock on this feral’s scent he’ll either kill him or scare him off.”

“I wish it was a normal vampire though.” Gavin rubbed his wrist where Joel had marked him.

“Me too,” Burnie agreed, squeezing the young man’s shoulder and reaching for the controller again.

A loud crash suddenly echoed through the office, and both men jumped up. “Conference room,” Burnie mumbled, reaching in his pocket for his keys.

Gavin watched as Burnie threaded them into his fingers and followed suit with his own, frowning at the three small housekeys poking up between his fingers.

They walked carefully out of Burnie’s office and made their way down the hall and into the main space, and as they approached the small room at the other end, their eyes went wide.

One of the windows had been smashed, and there was glass everywhere. Burnie motioned for Gavin to stop, and he slowly leaned into the room to look around. Nothing seemed out of place aside from the window, so he turned around.

He shrieked when he saw Joel standing behind Gavin.

Gavin turned around and screamed too, and Joel laughed. “You two sound like such humans,” he muttered, smiling.

“What do you mean, ‘humans’?! It’s what we are, you arsehole!” Gavin scoffed. “I’m going to the bathroom. I damn near wet myself,” He walked off to the back of the office again.

“You’ve cheered up,” Burnie grumbled, placing his keys in his pocket.  
“Found where the feral made camp and called the police. They’ve got it under surveillance now. Definitely eased my nerves a little.” Joel leaned around Burnie and frowned. “When did that happen?”  
  
“Just now. Why do you think Gavin and I were creeping around like idiots?”

“Cuz you’re idiots.” Joel’s ears twitched and he whipped around to face the direction of the bathroom. “Anyone else here besides us?”

“No, but I don’t—”

“He’s hunting Gavin,” Joel said suddenly, and he sped off towards the bathroom. Burnie’s heart sank as he sprinted after him, tripping over his own feet when he heard Gavin’s bloodcurdling scream.

He opened the door and something knocked him back onto his ass as it flew by him and back towards the conference room. He felt Joel haul him up by his bicep like it was nothing, heard him shout “PUT PRESSURE ON IT!” as he ran after the feral, and then there was nothing but Gavin gasping for air.

He turned and his stomach lurched at the sight - the blond was lying on the bathroom floor, a gouge in his shoulder pouring blood onto the white tile.

Burnie pulled his shirt off and balled it up, shoving it into the wound and gritting his teeth together as Gavin shouted from the pain. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Gavin, I’m sorry,” he whispered over and over, leaning heavily on the wound.

Gavin began hyperventilating and then was suddenly quiet; Burnie had a moment of panic before he realized that he’d only fallen unconscious from pain or blood loss or both.

There were gunshots outside, then Burnie heard loud stomping in the office, and Joel appeared in the doorway. “Feral’s dead. Let me see,” Joel said, motioning to Gavin’s shoulder.

“Shouldn’t we wait for—”

“No time. Move.” Joel grabbed Burnie’s wrist and pulled him away from the younger man. He stared at the bitemark for a moment, then turned to Burnie. “Vampire or death?”

“Wait, what?” Burnie’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Gavin is bleeding to death in front of your eyes Burnie. The only way I can save him is to close the wound with venom but that’ll change him. Vampire or death?”

“Joel, I don’t, I can’t, I’m not his—”

“Gavin is here in the States in your care, now CHOOSE.” Joel’s brown eyes were glazed over. An ambulance would never make it in time.

“Save him,” Burnie mumbled, and he watched wide-eyed as Joel reached down and ripped the ruined shirt off Gavin’s pale body, lifted him into his lap, and placed his mouth around the wound as best he could.

Joel hummed at the taste; he couldn’t remember the last time he had human blood and it was sweeter than he had remembered. He heard Burnie retch into the toilet behind him, but he didn’t care.

After a moment, he felt the blood stop, and Gavin’s body relaxed in his arms. “There. We’ve got an hour to move him before the numbing agent wears off. We need a place to go that’s dark and away from people.”

Burnie lifted his face from the toilet and covered his eyes with one hand. “Couldn’t you have wiped your mouth first?”

“Where am I bringing him?” Joel asked more firmly

“I don’t know, Joel, just get him out of here!” Burnie waved his arm and bent down into the toilet bowl again, and he heard Joel stand up.

“Gavin and I will be at my apartment. The police are on their way here. Tell them the truth.”

Burnie heard his footsteps walk away, and he heard sirens in the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

Burnie walked up to Joel’s apartment and knocked three times on the door. Joel answered quickly, pulled him in, and shut it.

“How is he?” Burnie asked quietly.

“Still unconscious. Don’t go in there,” Joel said, snagging Burnie’s elbow as he tried to walk past. “He may be asleep, but he looks awful and he’s writhing. Don’t do that to yourself.”

The human nodded and sat down heavily on the couch. Joel noted that he had gone home before coming here - he was in clean clothes and smelled strongly of soap. “What did the police say?” he asked, pulling up a chair across from Burnie.

“They identified the feral. I didn’t catch his name but he was from England, at least five hundred years old. He’s been all over the country, hunting European tourists and immigrants.” Burnie stared at the carpet.

Joel nodded. “Ferals are like serial killers - they have specific patterns. Makes sense he’d be hunting Gavin then.”

“Did you know he was going for him?”

“No.” Joel reached out and laid a hand on top of Burnie’s knee, and huffed when the other man jumped at his cool touch. “We did what we could. And we saved him. Now it’s time to move forward.”

“Joel, I need you to tell me what to do, right now,” Burnie pleaded, and a single tear rolled down his cheek and splashed onto Joel’s hand.

Joel frowned at the familiar statement, then sat up straight and nodded. “The police were already here, they took my statement and Gavin’s information. They’re going to send over some vampires on Wednesday when he wakes up to get his statement then.”

“Then what?”

“Then I guess Gavin and I are taking some time off work. I need to teach him the rules. Gonna take a couple weeks.”

Burnie chewed his lip. “And what can I do?”

“Leave us alone. Don’t want him accidentally turning you.” Joel shrugged. “Things will be normal again soon enough.” He stood up and walked into the kitchen.

“I don’t understand why the feral’s venom couldn’t turn him.”

“Vampires aren’t like rattlesnakes, Burnie, we don’t just pump victims full of venom when we bite them. The only thing I can think of comparing it to is taking a piss; you hold it in and choose when and where to go. You also have to focus on not killing the person so that the venom has a chance to work. Ferals just don’t have that kind of control.”

Joel walked back into the living room with a beer for Burnie, and the latter cracked it open and took a long draw from it. “You also have to understand that putting enough venom into a human to change him drains us of a lot of energy - I’ll have to hunt nearly twice as much after this in order to get back to full strength. So really, it’s a more complicated process than you think.”

Burnie scratched the back of his head and sighed. “Never said this in any book I’ve ever read,” he muttered, and Joel laughed.

“The books you read have human authors. Try one by a vampire next time.”


	4. Chapter 4

Two months had passed since the attack, and Burnie was alone in the office. The police confirmed that Joel’s territory was safe again, but Joel was seldom in it anymore, busy as he was working with a newly changed Gavin.

Burnie obsessively turned to the window again and sighed; the sky was getting dark but it wasn’t quite dark enough for Gavin to be outside yet.

“I must be an idiot for offering to be Gavin’s test human,” Burnie mumbled to himself, staring at the screen of his computer and clicking on solitaire for what must’ve the millionth time.

Ten minutes passed, and he caught himself checking the window again. “Ugh, no. This is stupid. They’ll show up when they show up and I need to stop thinking about it.”

“Thinking about what?” Gavin said, and Burnie nearly leapt out of his skin. The two vampires laughed as Burnie frowned at them. “You weren’t kidding Joel, I felt like I was stomping and he still didn’t hear us.”

“You guys are fucking dicks,” Burnie groaned, standing up. “How is everything going?”

Gavin’s eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. “You stink, Burnie.”

“You’re gonna get fired if you keep this shit up.”

“No no, he’s right, Burnie. You can’t smell it, but venom stinks, and each vampire smells different. It’s why vampires leave marked humans alone - they smell awful. It’s like covering up a delicious cheeseburger with dog shit.” Joel smirked.

“So I smell like dog shit. Great.” Burnie threw up his hands and flopped down in his chair.

“Not to me - you’re mine. Everyone likes their own brand.”

“So how do I make Burnie not stink to me?” Gavin coughed. “It’s really bad.”

Joel sat down and crossed his ankle over his knee. “I need to bring you into my coven.”

Burnie’s eyes went wide. “Whoa whoa, Joel, a coven? No fucking way.”

“‘Coven’ just means ‘family,’ Burnie, it doesn’t mean we’re gonna become an underground railroad for vampires.” Joel rolled his eyes. “You’re already in it, so calm down.”

Gavin sighed loudly. “Someone explain this to me!” he whined, slumping onto the floor.

Joel ran his fingers through his hair. “A coven is a group of people - vampires and humans - who share the same venom smell. Rooster Teeth is my coven, this building is my territory, and anyone that smells like me is under my protection.”

“Rooster Teeth belongs to more than just you though.” Gavin’s nose wrinkled in confusion.

“The company itself does, yes, but in reference to the coven, ownership goes to the oldest vampire, and I was the only one for years.” Joel interlaced his fingers behind his head. “Gavin was in my coven already, but the vampire change is like a factory reset.”

Gavin went to heave a sigh, but gagged. “Goddammit, Joel, can we get on with this? Burnie smells AWFUL.”

Burnie’s jaw dropped. “Can you stop saying that?!”

“Stop stinking!”

“To make Burnie stop stinking I need to mark you again.” Joel sighed and motioned Gavin closer, and the young man scooted across the floor. “Remember when I marked you before?”

“Yeah, you nibbled my arm and it kind of burned for a day but then there was nothing.”

“Well, the process is the same, with the nibbling and all, but it’s not gonna ‘kind of burn’. It’s gonna burn a lot. And it’s gonna smell terrible. The good news is that it’s only going to last a few minutes.”

“Oh fantastic.” Gavin pressed his lips together in a thin line.

“Why didn’t you do this before coming here?” Burnie asked.

“I wanted him to know what a marked human smelled like.” Joel lifted Gavin’s wrist to his mouth and bit down gently, grazing his teeth along his flesh and leaving behind the burning fluid.

“Oh goddamn, Joel, this is—” Gavin gagged and belched, then pulled his arm out of Joel’s grasp and ran out of the room. Joel stood and looked out the doorway at the newborn, then shook his head.

“That kid has the worst gag reflex I have ever seen.”

“I didn’t know vampires could gag.” Burnie replied, standing up out of his chair.

“It’s a carry-over from when we were human. There’s no physical reason for us to gag, but it still exists.” Joel turned and faced Burnie. “I hope his self-control is stronger than his stomach.”

“What do you mean?”

“Once he stops moaning and whining out there, he’s going to smell you. And you’re not going to smell bad anymore. I haven’t allowed him to have much contact with humans, Burnie. We went hunting briefly before we came here but that’s almost like saying I gave a crack addict water before bringing him to his dealer’s house.”

Burnie stared at Joel, expression blank.

Joel chewed his lip. “Vampires can survive off animal blood. And we can supplement with synthetic blood. But nothing is ever as good as real human blood. I’ve been a vampire for nearly 25 years, I can control my instincts, but Gavin is new.”

“I thought vampires don’t eat members of their coven.”

“We don’t _want_ to, but sometimes the instincts are more than we can handle.”

The two men stared at each other, and Gavin’s cries lowered into whimpers. “Fuck… holy fuck Joel…” the Brit mumbled between pants. “That was… ouch.”

“Roll up your sleeve, make sure your mark is exposed,” Joel whispered.

Burnie nodded and rolled up his sleeve. “Want to make sure he smells it?”

“Want to make sure he _sees_ it.” Joel turned and looked out the door again, and Burnie stared at his blank wrist.

“Hey Joel? Is it supposed to— _oooh_ ,” Gavin moaned sensually, and he appeared in front of Joel, standing on his tiptoes and craning his neck over his shoulder. “Burnie,” he cooed, “come out here to me.”

“Oh for Christ’s sake, Gavin, are you a tease?!” Joel rolled his eyes.

“A tease?”

“Different hunting techniques based on what your instincts tell you. Gavin’s one of those assholes that lures in his prey rather than hunts them.”

“That surprises you?! This is _Gavin_ we’re talking about,” Burnie whined.

The scrawny vampire was desperately trying to get past Joel to no avail. “Burnie, come on, sweetie, I just want to smell you a little, I don’t want to eat you.”

Joel laughed. “I’ll believe that when I see it. Come on, Burns, hold up your arm.”

Burnie stepped closer to Joel’s back and lifted his wrist into the air.

Gavin stared at it and gasped. “That’s what it looks like to a vampire?”

“Yes. Yours will match in a few days.”

“Burnie, it’s stunning on you. It’s shiny. Glowy. Swirly…” Gavin purred. “It looks like an oil slick, all reflections and rainbows. Come on, let me trace my fingers over it, let me make you tingle…”

“Gavin, Burnie is our boss, stop trying to seduce him. We’re leaving.”

Burnie stared at his arm in disbelief. “All that from this?”

“His mind is all fucked up from your scent. When I get him out of here and his mind clears he’ll know what I’m trying to do.”

“And what’s that?”

“Cement your protected status into his head.” Joel grabbed Gavin’s skinny waist and hefted him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. “Say goodnight to Burnie, Gavino.”

Gavin stared at Burnie through lidded eyes. “Goodnight, Burnie,” he said thickly.

“Goodnight Gavin.”

“I’ll call you. We’ll try again in a few days.” Joel walked out of the office, carrying Gavin as if he weighed nothing.

“Alright, see you,” Burnie called after them. When he heard the door at the bottom of the stairs shut, he sighed and sat down, propping his elbows up on his knees and burying his face in his hands.


	5. Chapter 5

“Joel, he smells so _goooooooooooood_!” Gavin whined, kicking his feet.

“Trust me, I know. But you have to get control of this or I can’t let you go back to England.”

Gavin sighed and nodded. “Hey, at least I can sit in here with him without going for it.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Would you two shut the fuck up? I’m really busy over here.” Burnie sighed loudly and continued typing.

Gavin perked up and turned towards the main door. “Who is that?” he asked, pointing.

“It’s Geoff.” Joel didn’t even look up from the book he was reading. “I asked him to come today. If you’re good around him, I can let you go with him after work to his house.”

“Back to my own place?!” Gavin squealed and stood up. “You mean I won’t need to be supervised anymore?”

“No, idiot, I’m still going to watch over you a little longer, I just need a break from you and Geoff has experience living with vampires. You’re not allowed to go anywhere but here and your place. I don’t trust your… skill set.” Joel glanced up from his page and narrowed his eyes.

“What does that mean?!” Gavin asked.

“Hey assholes,” Geoff said poking his head into Burnie’s office. Gavin’s head whipped around and he smirked.

“Hey Geoff,” he cooed, walking towards him slowly. “You’re looking fabulous tonight.”

“Thanks?” The tattooed man raised an eyebrow and took a step backwards.

“Did you know your mark blends in with your tattoos? Makes them brighter, makes it look like real fish swimming around your arm.” Gavin reached out and trailed his fingers over the inked skin, raising his eyebrows at the goosebumps that formed.

“Is he drunk? Joel, were you getting him eat drunk people?” Geoff pointed at Gavin and the other men in the room chuckled.

Gavin lifted Geoff’s wrist up to his nose and inhaled deeply. “Gosh, you smell amazing too. Is there anything about you not wonderful?”

Joel watched as Gavin nuzzled into the soft skin of Geoff’s wrist, then coughed loudly when his mouth drifted open. “Gavin,” he said firmly, and the younger vampire blinked twice.

“Oh, it happened again, didn’t it?” he mumbled, and backed off.

“Fuck you, you’re a tease?” Geoff looked over to Burnie. “He’s a TEASE?! Jesus Christ, for a minute I thought he lost his mind!”

“Well, technically, he kind of did. Oh you should’ve seen the look on your FACE!” Burnie wheezed, slapping his knee.

Gavin frowned. “You guys don’t have to be such dicks about it.”

“Oh calm down, you big baby, it’s just a test. You’re doing a lot better with your instincts around humans. What do you think, Geoff, can he go home tonight?” Joel narrowed his eyes. “So he can get away from me for a few hours?”

“Come on, Geoff, please? I wanna see Griffon and Millie.” Gavin pouted and clasped his hands together. “Please please please? I promise I won’t bite.”

Geoff crossed his arms. “I don’t know…”

Burnie glared at Geoff. “Do it or you’re fired. I am so sick of these two bickering like children.”  
  
Geoff rolled his eyes. “Fine. And by the way, I blocked the windows in your apartment for you. Don’t want you stuck in my basement all day tomorrow.”

Gavin jumped up and hugged Geoff. “I promise you, Geoff, I’ll be a good boy!”

“Gavin— choking—” Geoff croaked, patting Gavin on the shoulder.

The Brit shoved him away roughly, gasping when he fell on his back on the floor. “Oh God, Geoff, I’m sorry, here, let me help—”

“Get off me you cunt,” Geoff said, slapping Gavin’s hand. “Is he still breaking everything he touches?”

“Yeah, you’re gonna have to keep him in check.” Joel shrugged and looked at Gavin. “I’ll be at your place first thing in the morning with breakfast. Tomorrow we’re gonna start building up your sun tolerance.” He went back to his book.

Gavin’s jaw dropped. “Sun tolerance? But Joel, remember how bad my arm blistered that time—”

“Gavin, you were still really new when that happened. It’s been three months. You should be able to go out for a few minutes without issue. And you’re gonna start going out every morning.” Joel said, not looking up.

“But Joel—”

“Don’t fight with me.” Joel’s voice was loud, and Burnie and Geoff shuddered.

The hair on the back of Gavin’s neck bristled, and he stood up straighter. “No.”

Geoff grabbed Burnie’s elbow and pulled him out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He stared at the older man and smirked at his worried look. “Gavin’s testing Joel’s authority. Don’t worry, there isn’t going to be a big battle in your office, but tasty food probably shouldn’t hang out right now.”

They watched through the window in the office door as Joel stood up and stared down his nose at Gavin. “What did you say?” he said, his voice rumbling.

“I said, no. I don’t want to go into the sun tomorrow and you’re not going to make me.” Gavin crossed his arms over his chest.

Joel frowned. “As a matter of fact, Gavin, I can make you. And I will. So I suggest you stand down right now.”

Gavin furrowed his eyebrows. “Or else what?”

Joel cuffed him once on the right side of the head. “That was half power,” he said, watching the young man shake his head. “If I go full power you’ll lose sight in your eye for a week. Is that what you want?”

“You’re not the boss of me, Joel. I’m a grown man—”

“You are a NEWBORN VAMPIRE.” The window on the door rattled and the two men jumped back. “Until you can prove to me that you have shit in control then yes, I am the motherfucking boss of you. And tomorrow, we’re working on your sun tolerance. Is that CLEAR?”

“FUCK YOU!” Gavin’s shout also made the window rattle and Burnie shivered. To hear that voice come from Gavin—

The hit came so quickly that the humans heard it rather than saw it, and Gavin shrieked, covering his face with his hand. “My fucking eye! I can’t see!”

“I told you, you mincey little prick. I am much older and much stronger than you and I will not tolerate any insubordination, especially from someone in my own coven.” Joel sighed. “Are you finished, or do I have to do the other eye?”

Gavin cowered a little and backed away. “I’m finished.”

“Good. As soon as it’s dark enough Geoff can take you home.” Joel sat down in his spot and flipped his book open. “You made me lose my page, you little shit.”

Geoff looked over at Burnie and laughed - he was standing perfectly still with his mouth hanging open. “You alright?”

Burnie lifted a finger and pointed vaguely towards the door. “Is this… common?”

Geoff shook his head. “Nah, they’re just settling in. It’s sort of like a wolf pack; there’s a dominant pair, with the rest falling in line behind. Joel doesn’t have a mate so it’s just him, but he’s gotta teach Gavin his place.”

“By hitting him across the face hard enough to blind him?!”

“I’ve seen worse. And it’s not like he won’t recover.” Geoff carefully opened the door. “Is it safe?”

“Yeah, you guys can come back,” Joel mumbled. “Fuck, I cannot remember where I was!”

Gavin was grumbling to himself in the corner, using a picture as a mirror. Geoff shook his head at Burnie and mouthed “ignore him”, then sat next to Joel and peered over his shoulder. “Whatcha readin’?”

“Nothing you could understand.”

Geoff scoffed. “What, humans too stupid to read special vampire books now?”

“No, you don’t know Latin.” Joel held it up so Geoff could see.

“Oh.” Geoff sulked and stared out the window. “We should be able to leave soon, yeah?”

“About half an hour. It’ll give Whiny-pants over here enough time to cool off,” Burnie mumbled, sitting at his desk and resuming his e-mail.

“Why don’t you go fuck yourself,” Gavin whined, running his fingers over his eye socket. “Owwww.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Alright,” Joel said, sitting down in front of Gavin with a stack of papers, “let’s go over your paperwork.”

He began laying things out in front of Gavin in a row. “You’ve got your updated passport, your one-way plane ticket, information sheets for your parents and siblings. This is your sunlight exposure warning information and bracelet - DO NOT LOSE THESE. You need to present them to everyone to make sure you get the special transport you need.”

Gavin nodded. “Got it.”

“If you’re going to be living with humans, you need to mark them. If you’re going to work with humans, you need to mark them. You’ve practiced with Geoff and Griffon, right?” Joel raised an eyebrow.

Gavin smiled and nodded happily. “Geoff even allowed me to mark Millie.”

“Well aren’t you special.” Joel placed the papers into a folder and slid it across to Gavin. “I guess you’re all set. You know your flight itinerary?”

“Gus went over it with me three times. I know, I need to be careful.” Gavin placed his hand over Joel’s. “It’s going to be fine.”

Joel clasped his free hand over Gavin’s, then nodded and stood up. “Then that’s it. Your six months of babysitting are over, my friend. Now please, leave me the fuck alone for a while.”

Gavin laughed. “Joel, it would be an honor.”

There was a knock on the door and Burnie walked in. “Hey guys. Gavin, you ready to go?”

The Brit nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

Joel tossed Burnie a set of keys. “Hey, lock up on your way out, will ya? I’m going hunting. Alone.” He walked out and shut the door behind him.

Gavin huffed. “He’s been a grouch lately. Glad to be getting out of here.”

Burnie sat down at the table and flipped through the folder. “Joel go over these with you?”

“Oh my God, Burnie, not you too.” Gavin slumped down in his chair. “Look, I know this is hard but come ON. I’m going to be fine.”

“Just like you were fine when you went to the bathroom alone?” Burnie mumbled.

Gavin frowned. “You know I don’t remember anything. I went into shock before Joel administered the venom. You can’t put that on me.”

“I’m not putting it on you, Gavin, I’m putting it on me. You’re a vampire because I had to make the choice.” Burnie sighed and stared at the table. “All the reading on vampires I’ve done never prepared me for this.”

“At least you had some knowledge. Everything I knew was from fairy stories and it turns out not much of it is true anyway.” Gavin leaned forward. “Burnie, I’m not mad at you.”

“You’re not?” Burnie’s eyes were watery.

“No! You had to make the call, and you chose to save me. I could never be angry at someone who saved my life.”

Gavin’s green eyes were sparkling in the low light of the kitchen, and Burnie shivered. “You’re immortal now. Doesn’t that frighten you?”

“I got time to worry about that later.” Gavin stood up and helped Burnie out of his chair. “We need to leave now if we’re going to get to the airport on time.”

Burnie nodded. “Thanks Gavino.”

Gavin patted him on the arm. “Anytime.” He walked away and lifted his backpack on his shoulder, not seeing Burnie wince or rub the spot on his bicep.


End file.
